Cherry Tree Collage Craft

Here's a simple cherry tree craft for spring or anytime. 

Materials:

• Various colored construction paper
• red paint
• scissors
• glue
• large Q-tips

Directions:

1. Beforehand cut several simple leaves from green paper.
2. Tear one large and several smaller strips of brown paper. Glue the pieces to make a tree on a sheet of yellow paper.
3. Glue on the leaves.
4. Bind two or three large Q-tips together to make cherry shapes. Dip in red paint and dab on the cherries.

Easy Polar Bear Tissue Snow Craft

I love arctic animal crafts. Here's a simple polar bear that's great for preschool.

Materials:

• sheet of light blue construction paper
• polar bear template cut from white card stock
• marker
• scissors
• glue
• tissue paper scraps

Directions:

1. Trace and cut out a simple polar bear.
2. Draw detail and glue to the center of light blue paper.
3. Glue on little tissue paper balls for snow.
4. You could also glue on tissue paper at the bottom for ground.

Sea Arctic Animals Craft

If you're doing a theme on sea life or arctic animals, here's a great idea with a seal, fish, and floating ice.

Materials:

• Various colored construction paper
• scissors
• glue
• marker
• Styrofoam scraps

Directions:

1. Cut out a simple seal head from purple paper and a fish from grey, cut in half.
2. Cut out some waves from grey, too.
3. Draw details on the seal and fish.
4. Glue al the pieces on a sheet of light blue construction paper for the ocean.
5. Glue on some broken Styrofoam pieces for floating ice.

Rainbow Handprint Craft

Parents love hand print crafts because they're a record of their kids growth. Here's a simple and cool looking hand print craft idea. Paint your child's hand in variety of rainbow colors and press onto black paper. Great for a rainbow theme or anytime.

Easy Christmas Tree Card Craft

This simple Christmas tree card craft is perfect for preschoolers. Simple and fun to make.

Materials:

• Various colored construction paper
• scissors
• glue
• Christmas wrapping paper scraps
• Christmas foam shapes

Directions:

1. Trace and cut out a simple Christmas tree from green paper, trunk from brown, and pot from red.
2. Fold a sheet of construction paper in half to make the card.
3. Glue the tree pieces on the front.
4. Decorate with foam shapes or other materials like sequins or glitter.
5. Cut little squares from wrapping paper and glue on for presents.
6. Write a Christmas message inside.

St. Patrick's Day Shamrock Collage Craft

Teach kids about St Patrick's Day and let them show their Irish spirit with this easy collage craft. Great for Preschool.

Materials:

• card stock
• shamrock template to trace
• interesting shaped pasta
• green paint
• green beads, feathers, and other decorating materials
• glue

Directions:

1. Paint pasta green and allow to dry.
2. Trace shamrock onto card stock.
3. Glue green decorating materials and pasta inside the shamrock.
4. Write "St. Patrick's Day Shamrock" in green or other message.

Rainbow Rabbit Q-tip Dot Painting Craft

Dot painting with with Q-tips is really fun. Here's a rainbow rabbit craft idea using the technique. Great for spring or anytime. 

Materials:

• black construction paper
• various bright color paints
• rabbit template
• Q-tips/cotton swabs

Directions:

1. Trace a rabbit template onto a sheet of black paper.
2. Use Q-tips to paint dots all over the inside of the rabbit in various colors and allow to dry.

Fun Stand-Up Elephant card Craft

For a lesson about the circus or the zoo, here's a fun crafty elephant idea. 

Materials:

• card stock
• elephant template
• scissors
• colored paper
• glue
• colorful beads
• grey paint
• sponges
• crayon
• colorful yarn

Directions:

1. Fold card stock in half and trace a simple elephant with the fold making the back.
2. Trace and two ear pieces separately and cut out ears and elephant. 
3. Open elephant flat and sponge paint elephant and ears grey all over. Allow to dry.
4. Cut a strip of colored paper and glue over the back for the blanket.
5. Glue on colorful beads.
6. Draw details on your elephant.
7. Glue a piece of colorful string on the inside to make the tail.

Paper Plate Christmas Wreath Craft

A classic Christmas craft. Turn an ordinary paper plate into a beautiful Christmas wreath.

Materials:

• paper plate
• scissors
• green paint and brushes
• hole punch
• glitter glue
• macaroni or other interesting pasta
• various colorful beads
• glue
• gold ribbon

Directions:

1. To cut the center out of a paper plate, fold plate in half and cut the half circle from the middle.
2. Paint paper ring green and allow to dry.
3. Paint some macaroni or pasta in holiday colors and allow to dry.
4. Decorate ring with colorful beads, pasta, and glitter glue.
5. Punch a hole in the top and tie a gold ribbon to hang up.

Funny Face Collage Craft

If you're doing a lesson about the body, here's a fun activity. Make a funny face from magazine pictures. Kids can wear it like a mask.

Materials:

old magazines

scissors

glue

skin tone construction paper

face template

various colored yarn

Directions:

Trace or copy a simple face template onto skin toned construction paper

Cut eyes, ears, noses, and mouths from old magazine pictures.

Glue the pieces on your face.

Add yarn hair.

Hiding Easter Bunny Craft

Make a cute and shy Easter bunny hiding in the grass.

Materials:

• Pink, blue, and green construction paper
• bunny template
• scissors
• glue
• pen or crayons

Directions:

1. Trace and cut out your bunny from pink paper
2. Glue the bunny in the middle of a sheet of blue paper.
3. Tear thin strips from green paper and glue on for grass. Glue smaller pieces behind and longer pieces in front. 

Happy Easter Hand Print Bunny Card

Make Easter bunnies from handprints for an Easter card like this. Add eggs and a "Happy Easter" message.

Materials:

• blue sheet of construction paper
• various colored paper
• scissors
• glue
• Easter egg coloring templates
• sun template
• pipe cleaners
• pom poms
• green yarn, crepe paper, or plastic grass

Directions:

1. Trace "Spock" hand prints with fingers spread to make ears on colored construction paper and cut out.
2. Color and cut out Easter eggs from a coloring template
3. Trace and cut out a yellow sun.
4. Glue Bunnies onto a blue sheet of construction paper.
5. Add pipe cleaner whiskers and a pom pom nose. Add eyes.
6. Glue on the sun, Easter eggs and green grass.
7. Add a "Happy Easter" message.

Fall Pumpkin with Seeds Craft

For Fall or Thanksgiving you could make a little pumpkin craft like this and use real pumpkin seeds.

Materials:

• Orange, yellow, and brown construction paper
• Pumpkin seeds
• Glue
• Scissors

Directions:

1. Find a simple half pumpkin template or trace your own.
2. Trace and cut the pumpkin from orange paper.
3. Trace and cut out a slightly smaller inside piece from yellow paper and glue onto the orange piece.
4. Cut out a brown stem and glue on the back.
5. Glue pumpkin seeds on the front of your pumpkin.

Paper Plate Collage Apple Craft

Here's a simple apple craft to do with your preschoolers or little ones.

Materials:

• Paper plate
• Red construction paper torn into little pieces
• A little brown and green construction paper
• Scissors
• Pencil or crayon
• Glue

Directions:

1. Beforehand cut a little notch in the paper plate to resemble an apple.
2. Spread glue all over the front of the paper plate and cover in the red paper pieces.
3. Cut a little stem from brown paper and glue to the back.
4. Cut a green leaf and glue on the top.
5. Cut a little worm from green paper and glue on the front and draw a smiley face. You could partially cover the worm with red paper to make it look like he’s coming out of a hole.

Puffy Paint Earth Day Craft

If you're looking for a good Earth Day craft or doing a unit on space, here's a great craft idea. It's a shaving cream, puffy paint Earth.

Materials:

• shaving cream
• shallow tray
• blue and green paint
• craft stick
• card stock
• black sheet of construction paper

Directions:

1. Cut a large circle from white card stock.
2. Fill a shallow tray with shaving cream.
3. Dribble blue and green paint on top of the shaving cream.
4. Use a craft stick to gently mix the colors on top(not too much).
5. Press the white circle on top of the cream and gently press down.
6. Peal off the circle to reveal the Earth.
7. Place Earth on a table and use a craft stick or squeegee to wipe off the excess cream and paint. This is an important step as if you don't, the the paint will be too thick and become a flaky mess when dry.
8. Allow Earth to dry, then glue on a sheet of black paper to look like the Earth in space.
9. Add a special Earth Day title or message if desired.

You could use the same idea and mix different colors for other planets like Mars or Jupiter. You could even make a whole Solar System for your class.

Easy Japanese Paper Lantern Craft

If your studying about Japanese culture, this Japanese Paper Lantern craft is a great activity to do with your kids and is much easier than it looks.

Materials:

• cardboard
• ruler
• a box cutter or sharp knife
• scissors
• a pencil for marking
• two sets of disposable wooden chopsticks(4 sticks) or small dowel rods
• crayons
• long Japanese Shoji paper, wax paper, or other long strip of white paper
• a tea light or candle

Directions:

Base and top

1. Cut two 6 inch/15 cm squares from cardboard.
2. On one square, measure and cut out a smaller square about 1 /2 inches/4 cm in from the edge for the top hole. The hole should be about 3 1/4 inches or 8 1/2cm.

Paper

1. Cut a long strip of white paper about 6 inches/15 cm wide and 20 inches/50 cm long
2. Roughly mark the paper into 4 1/2 inch/12 cm panels. There will be 4 panels to the lantern. remember to leave a little extra on the ends.
3. Use crayons to draw a design on each panel. Choose whatever theme you wish.

Assembly

1. On the cardboard base and top, mark 4 holes, 1 inch/3cm from each corner. 
2. Use a sharp pencil to start the holes.
3. Break apart the chopsticks. There will be a skinny end and slightly fatter end. 
4. Push the thin end of each chopstick through the base piece al the way till just before the bottom.
5. Push the top piece with the large hole on the top to make the frame. 
6. Wrap the decorated paper around the chopstick frame and glue the ends together.
7. Alternatively, you could wrap and glue the paper first, remove the paper loop, decorate and put it back on. 
8. Put a small candle inside and light your lantern.

You can use the Recycled cooking oil candle idea, too. 

Recycled Cooking Oil Candle Craft

Looking for a way to recycle all that cooking oil after dinner? Here's a simple and resourceful idea to make small candles from waste cooking oil. This is a good activity to do with the Easy Japanese Paper Lantern Craft.

WARNING: Fire Hazard!
This activity must be done under close adult supervision. Don't use candles inside. Do not leave candles burning unattended!

Materials:

• used cooking oil
• old cloth or rag
• container to catch filtered oil
• oil coagulant (optional)
• a paper clip
• thick cotton string or wick
• aluminum muffin tin or used tea light tin

Directions:

1. Use an old cloth or rag to filter impurities from used cooking oil. 
2. Open a paper clip so it sits with end sticking up as shown above.
3. Cut a length of wick or thick cotton cord and insert the open paper clip rod up inside the cord to make your wick stand. 
4. Place the wick stand in an aluminum muffin tin or used tea light tin.
5. Use an oil coagulant if desired. I often find used cooking oil will coagulate by itself.
6. Pour some oil into the tin. 
7. Light your oil candle.

Warning: The oil candle makes black smoke and smells like whatever you were cooking.

Easy Toilet Paper Roll Kaleidoscope Craft

Here's a really simple recycled toilet roll kaleidoscope craft for kids. Actually it's not a proper kaleidoscope, nothing turns or needs a mirror. This is a perfect for Kindergarten or Elementary students. Te one pictured above was taped to the window, but you can just hold it up to the light.

Materials:

• toilet roll tube
• colorful cellophane
• non-sticky, reflective/holographic tape
• colorful paper
• decorative tape or paper
• scotch tape
• wax paper
• scissors
• glue

Directions:

1. Cut a toilet roll tube into 1/4 sized rolls.
2. Roll and glue holographic/reflective tape into very small loops or tear drop shapes. 
3. Lay the 1/4 toilet roll on the table and fill with the reflective loops.
4. Place small, irregular pieces of various colored cellophane over the top of the roll and tape everything in place with clear, scotch tape. Now, one end of the toilet roll is completely closed and looks like a small stained glass window and there are little reflective loops inside. 
5. Turn over the toilet roll.
6. Trace the toilet roll opening on wax paper and cut out with a little extra around the traced circle. 
7. Place the wax paper over the open end of the roll and tape the sides down securely. 
8. Now decorate the outside of the toilet roll with colorful adhesive tape, stickers, or paper .
9. Hold the the kaleidoscope roll up to a light or window and look through the wax paper end. Roll with your fingers and see the swirls of various colors.

4 Easy Craft Toys You Can Make From Disposable Chopsticks

The Japanese are known for their resourcefulness and artistic creativity. This extends to kids crafts as well. Disposable chopsticks and rubber bands are common household items that can be recycled to make simple kids playthings that will keep them entertained for hours. Here's a list of 4 easy-to-make craft toys from rubber bands and disposable chopsticks. Have fun Gambate!

Chopsticks Rubber Band Gun Craft

Japanese Chopsticks Catapult Toy Craft

Japanese Chopsticks Launcher Toy Craft

Japanese Chopsticks Boat Toy Craft

Search this site for even more great Japanese craft ideas.

Christmas Fireplace Box Craft

This is a cute idea I got from a friend. Turn a small box into a mini fireplace complete with fire and stockings.

Materials:

• small box (a tissue box works great)
• checkered fabric to resemble bricks
• wooden chopsticks
• red and white felt
• thread( green is nice)
• needle
• glue
• scissors

Directions:

1. Cut a rectangular opening in the side of the box for the fireplace.
2. Cut pieces of fabric and completely cover the outside of the box.
3. Cut some disposable chopsticks into small pieces for logs. Color the ends red with a marker.
4. Cut a piece of jagged red/yellow felt  for fire.
5. Glue the pieces inside for the fire.
6. Cut some little stocking and/or snowmen shapes from felt.
7. Thread the pieces on a length of thread and attach to the front, so they hang in front of the fireplace.

You could go all out and make little Christmas trees to go on the mantle.